Bill-holder



(No Model.)

W. J. WHITWOOD. BILL HOLDER.

110,542,125. Patented July 2,1895;

WITNESSES: INVENTOH ATTORNEYS.

' Nr'rnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM J. \VHITWOOD, OF WVELLSVILLE, NEYV YORK.

BILL-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 5 12, 125, dated July 2, 1895.

Application filed June '26, 18 94- To all whom it mayconcern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM J. Wnirwoon, of i/Vellsville, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improved Bill-Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in portable devices for the retention of classified or miscellaneous bills in compact order; and it has for its object to providea novel,simple, inexpensive, and convenient device of the character indicated, which will be adapted to retain a considerable number of folded bills or other papers that it is desirable to temporarily hold in a bunched condition, permitting any or all of said bills to be readily detached from the holder when this is desired.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views shown.

Figure l isa perspective view of the improved bill-holder, showing its mannerof holding folded articles of paper or other pliable material. Fig. '2 is a reverse plan View of the improved holder. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a partly-section-aF'side view showing the improvement in a slightly-modified form.

The major portion of the improved billholder consists of the holder-plate 10, that is rectangular in form, having a flange 10 produced on its edge as a depending continuous border, said flange having such a proportionate depth as will afford a shallow recess below the said plate 10 to receive other parts of the device.

Two similar springs 11 are provided and are preferably formed of elastic metallic strips, but may also be made of wire rods of a suitable gage. The springs 11 are oppositely bent flatwise from near their longitudinal centers toward each end, the curve being proportioned so as to permit one end portion of each spring to be secured on the inner surface of the depending flange 10 at opposite corners of the holder-plate, so that the other end portions of thesprings will have enforced contact on Serial No. 515,786. (No modeh) the opposite side walls of the flange 10, as shown in Fig. 2.

A clamping-piece forms another essential portion of the improved holder device and may be in the form of a tube-section, as shown at 12 in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or be made of thin strong rigid material turned up at the edges, so as to afford a finger-hold, and having a greater area for contact with the material it is imposed on in use, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 4.

Preferably the clamping-piece in either form mentioned is loosely connected with the free ends of the springs 11 by the flexible thong or strip 14, which may be formed of leather or other available material.

The flexible strip 14: is passed through opposite holes in the sides of the clamping-piece 13 or through the tubular bar 12 if the latter is used in place of the flattened clampingpiece, and the projecting end portions of the strip are thence extended in through opposite perforations in the sides of the flange 10 toward the free ends of the springs 11, to which the terminals of the flexible strips are loosely connected by the wire hooks 15 or other suitable means. I

It will be seen that to place bills or other folded paper documents in proper position to be held in the improved bill-holder it is only necessary that the clamping-piece 12 or 13 be drawn away from the plate 10 and so manually retained until the bill is placed in position below the clamping-piece, the release of the latter permitting. the springs 11 to draw on the flexible strip 145'and thus enforce a clamping contact of the piece 12 or 13 with the'bills to be held in place on the holder- 'plate 10. r

The provision of the springs 11 and manner of connecting them with the clamping-piece of the device afford a considerable range of adjustment for the latter, and as the springs are located in the shallow recess formed by the depending base-flange 10 they are protected and concealed and not liable to come in contact with the hands of the user of the holder.

The entire device is of simple, inexpensive, and compact construction, and is capable of production in ornamental form, if this is desired, at the same time preserving the essen- IOC tial features of novel construction shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a bill holder,the combination, with a base or holder plate, and a clamping piece, of springs fast by one end of each on the plate at opposite ends of said plate, and flexibly connected near their free ends with the ends of the clamping piece, substantially as described.

2. In a bill holder, the combination, with a base or holder plate, and a clam ping piece, of how springs attached at one end to the holder plate at each of its ends extending toward the longitudinal center of said plate, and a flexible strip attached intermediately to the clamping piece and at its ends to the clamping piece, and attached at its ends to the free ends of the bow springs, substantially as described.

4.. In a bill holder, the combination, with a rectangular, flat holder plate, having a depending border flange, and aflattened clamping piece, of two plate springs curved flat-wise and fastened at one end of each on the inner surface of the base flange at opposite end cornersof the holder plate, and a flexible strip connected with the flattened clamping piece between the ends of said clamping piece, and having a loose connection at its terminals with the free ends of the springs, substantially as described.

5. In a bill holder, the combination with a base, of a clamp-piece at one face thereof, springs at the opposite face, and flexible strands connecting the springs with the clamppiece, substantially as described.

6. Abill holder comprising a base, a clamp piece on-one side of such base and movable toward and from the same, the flexible strands connected wit-h the clamp piece and extended thence to the opposite side of the base and the springs carried by the base and connected with and exerting a tension in a longitudinal direction upon the strands all substantially as described whereby the clamp piece may operate in a line parallel to the plane of the base or at an angle to such plane and whereby the flexible connections may be bulged laterally to receive between them papers of diiterent widths in excess of the lengths of the clamp piece as and for the purposes described. 6;

WILLIAM J. lVIlITVVOOD.

Witnesses:

Fnnnnn'io I-I. CHURCH, JOHN A. WITHERBY. 

